ZTE Says It Will Launch a 5G Smartphone in First Half of 2019

ZTE has reiterated that the company will be launching its first 5G smartphone in the first half of 2019. It also revealed that it will be introducing new Axon and Blade-series smartphones this year. Although the company’s Nubia sub-brand was quite active in 2018, ZTE itself remained mostly quiet on the smartphone front with just a few smartphone launches in the whole year. ZTE seems to be raring to get back in the game.

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE on Wednesday announced in China that it is all set to release a commercial 5G smartphone in the first half of this year. The company hasn’t shared any specifics of the device, but it did reveal that the company will be present at next month’s Mobile World Congress to discuss its 5G plans. It is quite possible that we will get at least some official details, if not the complete unveiling, about the company’s 5G smartphone at the event.

The company claims that it has already completed all the necessary 5G tests on its smartphone, include internet browsing, calls, and WeChat messages.

ZTE had first announced its intentions to launch a 5G smartphone in early-2019 at last year’s CES tech show. It later moved that time-frame to the first half of 2019 and seems to be sticking to that for now.

The Chinese manufacturer has also stated that it will bring new Axon and Blade-series phones this year. There is no word on any details about these devices, but it is possible that we might see new Blade-series phones at MWC next month and Axon phone(s) in the second half of the year, considering the company followed a similar time-table in 2018.

The company didn’t have the best year in 2018 and it was crippled in April when the US banned it from doing business with US-based suppliers. The US government had claimed that it broke an agreement to punish its executive who had conspired to skirt US sanctions on Iran and North Korea. ZTE managed to strike a deal with the Trump administration in June by agreeing to pay $1.4 billion fine and overhauling its leadership.